Patrice Rushen

City Music Network Students performing at Youth Power-Up Day in Los Angeles, California. Photo credit: Amy Bojanowski

Over 200 Network members, music educators, and arts advocates came together in Los Angeles to discuss “Innovations in Youth Development,” the theme of this year’s Berklee City Music Network Conference.

The conference kicked off on November 2 with “Youth Power-Up Day,” a free outdoor festival at Grand Performances, that featured performances by youth ensembles from around the country, a community drum circle hosted by Remo, and a jam session led by Kevin Eubanks.

Attendees moved indoors to the nearby Omni Hotel for the next three days full of inspiring presentations, panel discussions, and interactive activities. BCMN Conference veteran Libby Chiu started each day with a networking workshop that featured special guests such as Jonathan Zeichner (APCH), Andy Davis, and youth ambassadors from A Place Called Home.

Two of the more popular sessions were a panel discussion led by Berklee faculty member Terri Lyne Carrington with Sheila E, Patrice Rushen, Lalah Hathaway, and Donald Harrison about working with young musicians ; and Ron Weisner’s all-star panel discussion about the music industry featuring Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, Bobby Colomby, Tommy LiPuma, Ray Chew, and Ricky Minor.

$275 for the three-day conference (or $125 per day) for network members, Berklee alumni, and music educators (with a .edu email address)

$350 for the three-day conference (or $175 per day) for nonmembers

Student rate: We are giving away 25 free three-day passes to undergraduate and graduate students (passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis; RSVP to Christina Quarles). Undergraduate students are also eligible for a $25 per day rate.

Clive Davis Theater at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA
Students from five of our Berklee City Music Network sites will be coached by leading industry artists, including Kenny Lattimore, Ashley Rodriguez, Shoshana Bean before performing on stage that evening for a panel of clinicians.

Limited seating is available at the Clive Davis Theater, and therefore admission can only be guaranteed to the first 100 Conference registrants. Tickets are free with registration for attendees who register for 3-day passes or with a single day (Monday). Be sure to register early to secure your seat!

Check out the highlights from last year’s BCMN Conference Master Class.

Berklee’s The State of Jazz Composition Symposium is a 6 day event of clinics, panels, master classes, workshops and concerts that explore the evolution of the music industry and how the discipline of jazz composition is being shaped to follow this maturation.

Berklee College of Music handpicked an outstanding array of today’s crèmedelacrème jazz artists and industry professionals to share their knowledge, insights, experience and stories with the Berklee community. These names include Patrice Rushen, Billy Childs, Terence Blanchard, Danilo Perez, Geri Allen, George S. Clinton, Maria Schneider with the keynote address by Don Was, President of Blue Note Records.

Some of the covered topics are:

Biological Foundations of Music

Outside of the Box – breaking free of perceived constraints in approaching jazz

Writing for Strings

Broad Issues of Compensation in the New Music Business

Women in Jazz

Composers of Color

Blurred Lines in Composition

The State of Jazz Composition Symposium and Concert Series will be held at various locations on Berklee’s campus from April 22-27, 2014.